A Week Later

We're home in Provo, and losing our tans. 

We left Sunday night, June 7. After the meeting ended on Sunday the congregation stayed in their seats and sang Aloha Oe to us, and then and showered us with hugs, kisses, good wishes, and leis.

The last five months were a joy.

Before and After

This was a wonderful time for us. We think it shows. Here we are on June 1, taking a break to pack to come home. Below that is us five months before that--in the airport on New Year's Day, ready to board our  flight to Hawaii. 

Goodbyes

We leave this time tomorrow. We've been saying goodbyes: to the lovely women who give Linda their leis when they greet her, to the hula kids, to out sister missionaries who have had dinner with us as much as we could get them, to the beach.

Hukilau

We live on Hukilau Beach, and on Memorial Day a local family did a hukilau. It's as the song we learned as little kids said: They take a very long net out into the middle of the bay, paying it out from a boat, and then take it to the far end of the beach.  At that far end, people start pulling it in and moving down the beach toward the starting point. Eventually they get there, and they pull out the fish they have caught and make a big lunch.

Winding Down

We didn't master surfing. It's very hard and very strenous. We found we lack the strength and flexibility to "pop up" when we catch a wave. We would catch them, but not be able to pop from being prone on the board to standing. I kept getting stuck at kneeling. And paddling is exhausting. 

But we were successful at paddle surfing. It, too, is strenuous and requires balance, but we could do it. You can see deep into the water from the standing position. I watched a turtle fly under my board. And you can catch waves. But I wasn't able to keep my balance. If we lived here we would buy boards and get better at it.

Linda wanted surf shots of us to photoshop onto big North Short waves.

And we acquired a volunteer pet. Look closely at our kitchen counter.